The recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections have brought to light a curious trend: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has secured victories in four out of five constituencies that experienced both the highest and lowest numbers of voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This raises questions about the impact of these deletions on the election outcome, especially amidst opposition allegations of targeted voter roll manipulation.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently released data highlighting the extent of voter deletions across Bihar. The SIR process, intended to update and rectify voter lists, resulted in a significant reduction in the number of eligible voters in several constituencies. Opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Indian National Congress (INC), have alleged that these deletions disproportionately affected marginalized communities and were strategically carried out to benefit the ruling NDA.
Among the constituencies with the highest voter deletions, Gopalganj saw the most significant reduction, with 56,793 voters marked as ineligible, shrinking the voters list from 3,52,054 to 2,95,261. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Subhash Singh, won this seat, defeating Congress's Om Prakash Singh by nearly 28,900 votes. In Purnia, a constituency in the Seemanchal region with a significant Muslim population, 50,767 voters were removed during the SIR. Vijay Kumar Khemka of the BJP won this seat, defeating the Congress party's Jitendra Kumar by 33,222 votes. Similarly, in Motihari, where 49,747 voters were deleted, the BJP candidate, Pramod Kumar, emerged victorious, defeating Dewa Gupta of the RJD by a substantial margin of 92,517 votes. Rounding out the top four, in Kuchaikote, 43,226 voters were deleted, and the Janata Dal (United) candidate, Amrendra Kumar, won the seat, defeating Nari Narayan Singh of the Congress party by 24,491 votes.
However, Kishanganj stood out as an exception. Despite witnessing approximately 42,940 voter deletions, Qamrul Hoda of the Congress party won the seat, defeating Sweety Singh of the BJP by a significant margin of 76,875 votes.
Interestingly, the NDA also dominated in constituencies with the lowest voter deletions. Out of these five seats, the NDA won four. Darbhanga, with 2,859 deletions and Bettiah, with 6,076 deletions, were both won by the BJP. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a NDA ally, secured Dehri and Mahua, which had 6,219 and 6,302 deletions respectively. Chanpatia, with 6,031 deletions, was the only seat in this category won by the Congress.
The NDA's overall performance in the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 was a resounding victory, securing 202 out of 243 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, followed closely by its ally Janata Dal (United) with 85 seats. The RJD, leading the Mahagathbandhan, managed to secure only 25 seats, while its ally, the Congress, won a mere six.
The sweeping victory of the NDA, coupled with its success in constituencies with both high and low voter deletions, adds complexity to the debate surrounding the SIR process. While the opposition alleges foul play and questions the integrity of the electoral process, the NDA's dominance across diverse constituencies suggests a broader mandate. The ECI maintains that the SIR was conducted to ensure accurate voter lists and eliminate ineligible voters. However, concerns persist regarding the transparency and potential for bias in the implementation of the SIR, particularly in light of the significant number of voter deletions and the NDA's performance in affected constituencies.
